Food for thought in a National Election.

This is it!Just barely 2 hours to go before Malaysians go to the poll.Today being a national election day,most 10.5m eligible voters will rise early to go to their respective polling stations where they were registered to exercise their national rights as malaysian citizens.Of course,my vote is my right and have I made up my mind as to which party I am going to put a cross(X) on the voting slip?In our land, we have the Barisan National party comprising of juxtaposition of parties based on various races of Chinese (MCA),Indian(MIC) and Umno malay parties.There are also other loose mosquito parties aligned to the major parties linked to this alliance, which has been ruling the country for the last 50 years. On the other end,we have the Oppositions comprising of the DAP(Democratic Action Party),Kealiran and the PAS parties.Before I share my voting secret with you, let me also share with you what we eat before casting our votes.
I would love to eat heavy breakfast in the morning. I would go the an Indian-Muslim(mamak) restaurant to have roti canai with egg or plain,or a tosai or a chapatti.Those are flour based pancakes to be eaten with gravy or with just sugar to accompany them.On my left side of the table there will be a glass of teh-tarik(tea with milk) to wash down these oily food.Most of the time, I would love to go the food-court at the Sungai Ara market to eat Wanton mee(sometimes pronounced as One-Ton mee. No,we do not eat a ton of noddle for a single breakfast,just that some hawker stalls try to be fanciful!There are dry noddles,wet noddles,curry noodles,plain gravy noodles etc.These hawkers will sell them the whole day,so not to worry that you will miss these wonderful concoctions!Try also the hokkien mee or the curry mee.These are more spicy but if you can take them it's O LA LA!
What about our malay friends in the polling centre?What do they eat for lunch?The Election Commision would usually arrange to cater nasi lemak for them.It is actually rice cooked in coconut milk with half a slice of egg and some anchovies to go along.It can be very spicy at times but I believe if you can tell the maker in advance that you do not want the chilli gravy that goes with it,you are perfectly safe!
My wife,one of the returning officer in the center, can opt for a hailanese chicken rice.Her mum cooks this speciality perfectly and I would never want to miss her cooking!AH Fatt chicken rice shop at Fette's Park did a very good job in concocting these hailanese dish.Try the assam pedas or the Kiam chye soup that goes with the chicken rice!I would rather not explain what this soup is make of for this will stir up the food adventure in you. Of course, these officers mostly government servants would be given malay traditional queh(Cake) to go along with their coffeee and tea in between!
Anyway, the center opens from 8am to 5pm.Then the counting officers will take over until the results are known.Good luck to those candidates whom you have seen their faces on the posters or flyers fluttering all over town!
Now coming back to me,who will I vote? The BN or the Oppositions?Wow? A rather difficult decision to make but I will definitely not shriek my responsibility. Or rather would I say that I would vote for the candidate with a PROSPEROUS SIGN and not one with a THIN AND HUNGRY LOOK because the latter would not be able to take care of the country but his own personal pocket!What say you? Voting is your right, so vote wisely!

Penang hawkers food

For the first timer to Penang,Malaysia, welcome!Those who like spicy food,it should have been no problem but those with weak stomach,just taste these food first and get your taste buds adjusted to the varying degree of spicy temptations that the hawkers here can offer.A Japanese friend of ours,Ms Yukii found these food so tempting but with just a small sip of the gravy would send her to the toilet!Whereas her husband, Ken-san(that's how my blog is named after!) can eat anything in the sun.My wife and I will surely miss this young couple who will be going back to Tokyo, Japan in a week's time.
Just last week too, we met a friendly Australian couple, Wendy and Barry Cooper from Melbourne.An elderly couple who preferred to travel light.At the foothill of Penang Hill, a famous landmark where most tourists will ask their tour guide to take them to.After climbing the Tee Kong temple or popularly known as the God of Heaven temple,my wife suggested to me to climb the Penang Hill as we have not done so for so many years.We happened to bounce into one another and decided that we would make Wendy and Barry remember their holidays on this sunny island of Penang a memorable one.What they wanted to hear,see and taste we guide them to the best of our ability.We took them to our home on Chinese New year and let them taste the love letter,Kueh Bankit,Kueh bulu and many more.To their delights,they took all in their stride including the madarin oranges!We ended up at the New world park for the Kueh Teow thing(gravy noodle),Char Kuey Teow(Fried broad noddle),yam rice to go with yong tow hoo ,ice kachang and lots of fresh juices. The next morning, Barry could not wait to tell his other tourist friends during breakfast at a five star hotel at Batu Feringgi!
Bon Voyage Ken and Yukii, so too to Wendy and Barry Cooper!